Valerie

My name is Valerie Stone. I am 27 years of age. My parents were wealthy members of the trade caste, but after my mother died my father made some...unfortunate choices. Namely about our finances. Now my sister and I had to make a difficult choice. Did we allow father’s bankruptcy leave us to be casteless and homeless in the under slums of our home, colony station Vega 4? Or did we sign up to be indentured servants until we could earn enough to make our way once our term was over?

Oh. Maybe I should go back a step. 

Terran society in the 23rd century relies upon a caste system. Even though our colonies span across many galaxies now, and we are part of the galactic community governed by the Theskian Council, we unfortunately had to live the same way all the other races do. By a caste system. This was none negotiable for anyone who lived outside of Terran controlled space. In essence, as long as you had a caste, you were fine. It meant you had a trade or skill, and therefore a means to earn Xan. Money. You were born into the caste of your wealthiest parent. So as you can imagine, marrying up was big on the list of priorities outside of Terran space. Regardless of gender or species. Marriage outside of species was not illegal, but not encouraged unless one or both of you had existing children to continue your legacy. 

This system has been in place for thousands of years to create a level playing field in cohabit space. So the Theskian Council tell us. Often. 

As long as you are not casteless you are fine. If, oh I don’t know, your heartbroken father turns to drink and cards and pisses away your family’s fortune, then it’s not such a safe bet. 

I thought I would be taking over my father’s precious stones business one day. He trained me my whole life to prepare me for that very purpose. To take over our registered and legally bought mining asteroids and moons. Oversee operations. Negotiate and deal with jewellers. One day I would get married...but I was in no rush.

If only I had a husband. Not because I was weak and needed protecting, but his caste would have protected me and my sister from facing destitution. Father has ruined the Stone legacy. There is nothing left to inherit. 

I hope you understand I’m angry. I feel betrayed. He did this under my nose and stole my future from me. Now I’m walking my sister with me into the Vega 4 indentured servitude registration centre. It is basically legalised slavery via a legal document stating how long the term of ‘employment’ will be for, and what payment will be given upon completion of the agreed term. 

Only a week ago I used to look down my nose at this place. Thinking it was abhorrent and only the stupid and the desperate foolishly ended up here. Of course, I was right. Cassie and I are desperate. 

“Watch where you’re walking.” A gruff looking Prelka stormed past me and nearly knocked me over. He was over 7ft tall, wide as a house, green with purple bands, and his left head continued to sneer at me through his sharp teeth while the right focused on where they were going. 

“Are you okay Val?” Cassie asked me and gave my hand a squeeze. I smiled at her and nodded to reassure her. The dull metal streets of the slums were loud, humid and full of unsavoury types like that Prelka. Most ignored the little humans, and the only other humans I saw were casteless and begging for Xan and ration pouches. It made me drag Cassie to the indentured servitude registration centre all the faster. It was too easy to see us dressed in rags, bones showing through our skin and suffering in the dark. That was the future father left for us. The future we hoped to avoid as we walked into the centre. 

I walked us inside and ignored the nauseous butterflies swarming in my stomach as we walked hand in hand to the main reception.

“Here to register or browse today?” A dainty Abrian with a long white neck, a bulbous head, and a plume of blue feathers framing their face peered down from a raised desk. 

“To register, please.” It felt wrong to even say the words. The Abrian examined us and rolled her white and yellow eyes. 

“Of course. More Terrans. Go through the blue door and wait to be called. Fill in these while you wait.” She leaned over the desk to offer us both a metal clipboard with an attached tablet and stylus to write with. “Read carefully before you register. Once you do you commit to indentured servitude. List all your debts fully or risk voiding your future contract. Once you co-sign your indentured servitude with your master, it is binding for the full term. Voiding the contract will black list you from making another, and you will be casteless with the full debt of the contract to pay.”

She didn’t pull her punches. We were already bloody nervous, without hearing all that too. 

“Yes, thank you.” I tugged Cassie with me towards the blue door. She resisted me just before the blue door so I turned to look at her curiously. Cassie was a delicate soul. Her blue eyes welled up and she begged me with those tear orbs not to do this. “What other choice do we have? If you have a better plan, tell me.” I waited and she couldn’t give me any alternative. “Come here.” I pulled my sweet sister into my arms and hugged her fiercely. “Father’s debt is his own. We are left with nothing to inherit, but that includes his debt. At least our Caste protects us in that regard. That changes if we go down into poverty with him, which at this rate, is any day now.” I leaned back and stroked her cute freckly face. Her messy short blonde hair reminded me of mother’s golden locks. She had her looks and her gentle heart. I inherited our Father’s brown hair, brown eyes and business sense. If father hadn’t become a gambling drunk, he would never have allowed this to happen to us. “We only need to work for a year. Maybe two. That should give us enough Xan upon completion to support us as we start up our own business. Maybe we will work for another mining operation for a while and work our way up?” 

“But you hear stories Val. Of what Indentured servants have to do under contract.” She wasn’t wrong there. I’d heard the rumours too. I got goosebumps thinking about the stories of being beaten, forced to do degrading menial labour, the subject of humiliation...and then there were the stories of people from rich Castes purchasing indentured servants to be their companions...

We all knew what that was code for. 

“We have to agree to the contract. We can’t leave the centre until we have agreed to one. Read the contract really carefully. Especially the fine print.” I took her hand and wore a brave smile for Cassie. On the inside I was just as terrified as my sister, but she didn’t need to know that. “Come on Cassie. Its only a year or two. We will look back at this moment one day over drinks and laugh...” 

Nope. Neither of us were convinced of that. Regardless, I led the way through the blue door and our uncertain future.

Note from the Author- 

Hello! Would you like to find out more? This is book 1 of 7 in the series. The first book will be on KU on January the 1st, but is available to read now for £1.50 a month on my Patreon page. ^_^